The Celestial Maiden Narratives of

Southeast Asia, China, India, and Japan

Articulating Commonalities and Appreciating
Distinctiveness

The Celestial Maiden Narratives of Southeast Asia,

China, India, and Japan
collected by
Amparo Adelina Jina C. Umali, III, Ph.D.
East and Southeast Asian Studies
Center for International Studies
University of the Philippines Diliman
Cover Photos:
Japans Noh Hagoromo Photo CNZayas
Thailands Manohra in Indias Bharatanatyam and
Philippines Igorot of Bontocs Taraw Siblaw Photos Jon Lazam
Inside Photos:
Cambodia http://seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/system/files/DanceUnitComplete.pdf
Indonesia http://betwobeasia.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/jaka-tarub.jpg
Thailand http://www.sexglitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Manohra-is-the-art.jpg
Vietnam http://www.vietnamsvisa.net/the-legend-of-the-milky-way
India http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/bce_299_200/
Mahabharata/menaka/menaka.html

China http://cultureofchinese.com/traditions/folklore/folklore-cowherd-and-the
-weaver-girl/

I. Brunei Darussalams Si Butatal1

Si Butatal is about an ugly young man with skin disease who is
ostracized by society. He lives alone in the forest where he catches
catfish through fish traps. He exchanges fish for clothes and rice.
One day, however, the trap does not yield any fish. This goes on
for many days while the water of the stream gets murky.
Wondering what has happened, he decides to go upriver to
investigate. He comes upon a fall and a pool of clear water where
he sees seven princesses bathing. He steals the flying robe of the
youngest and most beautiful princess. The six princesses fly off to
their heavenly kingdom, leaving behind their youngest sister.
Butatal falls in love with her and invites her to live with him as his
wife. She agrees, and later bears him a daughter.
One day, while Butatal is out fishing; the princess notices a flute in
the ceiling. She takes the flute and tries to play it, but it is blocked.
She looks inside the flute and finds her flying robe. Angry at her
husband for hiding the robe, she puts it on and flies back to heaven,
leaving her baby and husband behind.
When he found his wife gone, Butatal is disconsolate. He then
looks for her with the help of an old monkey. An old monkey
brings Butatal across seven erupting volcanoes (the number seven
appears as a very significant number in many of these tales).
1 This story was taken from the response of Nicanor G. Tiongson, Ph.D., to the

presentation of the Japanese Hagoromo. In Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III, ed. Celestial
Maiden of Japan and Southeast Asia (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Center
for International Studies, 2009) 40-42.

Butatal rides on the monkeys back, while his daughter rides on his
back. As they pass over every volcano, Butatal says the word
thirsty, and one layer of his clothing comes off. Finally, the
monkey saves Butatal from falling off into the last volcano and
gets him to the heavenly palace.
The palace is abuzz with preparations for the wedding of the
youngest princess to her original fiance. The princess sees Butatal
and her daughter and reveals to the king that she had gotten
married when she was on earth. The king suspects that Butatal is
not an ordinary man.
As in the other tales, Butatal has to undergo four tests to retrieve
his wife. First, the king asks Butatal to level the hill to the ground,
which Butatal does with the help of two big pigs. Second, he asks
Butatal to cut down a tree into four sections without the tree falling
down and using no tools. Two eagles come to help him with this.
Third, the king orders him to collect the oil which was poured into
the paddy. For this the ants come to his rescue. Lastly, the king
asks him to scoop seawater with a basket. The jellyfish help him
perform the task.
After Butatal passes the tests, the king agrees to marry him off to
the princess. Butatal asks for a fortnight to clean himself and turns
into a handsome man. Later the fiance arrives and Butatal
apologizes to him. The fiance accepts the apology. They engage
in a friendly fight, where Butatal defeats the fiance. At one point,
Butatal strikes the ring finger of the fiance who falls to earth and
dies. Butatal sprinkles rose water on him and he lives again.
Butatal and the princess are married.

II. Cambodias Preah Sothun Neang Monorea2

Neang Keo Monorea and her six siblings, all sisters, reside in the
heavens with their parents. One day their father allows them to
visit earth. Each wearing a scarf with magical powers granting
them the ability to fly away from their celestial abode, they
promise their father to return home as soon as they hear the ringing
of the gongs. When they reach earth, they go to bathe in a lotus
pond.
Unbeknownst to them, however, a hunter leads Preah (Prince)
Sothun to watch the celestial visitors clandestinely. Upon the
ringing of the gongs, they prepare to take leave of earth, as they
had pledged. But Neang Monoreas magic scarf has disappeared.
Unable to join her sisters as they departed, she cries herself
unconscious. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented him,
Preah Sothun offers to help. He and Neang Monorea fall in love,
return to the Princes palace, and marry.
2 This synopsis was adapted from the program notes of Princess Norodom Buppha

Devis 2003 remounting of Preah Sothun Neang Monorea as a full-length classical dance
performance in Tono Shapiro-Phim, Tradition and Innovation in Cambodian Dance, A
Curriculum Unit for Post- Secondary Level Educators Ithaca, NY: Southeast Asia
Program Outreach Office May 15, 2013
http://seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/system/files/DanceUnitComplete.pdf

One day, Preah Sothuns country is invaded. His father orders him
to go to war to save the country. While he is away, the princes
mother summons a fortune-teller to interpret a frightening dream
she has had. Being cruel, he lies, explaining to her that because of
sins the Queen committed in a previous life, Neang Monorea must
be killed to avoid the continuation of war, and the certain death of
Preah Sothun. The King and Queen send Neang Monorea into
exile, rather than to her death. On her way back to the heavens,
Neang Monorea meets a hermit and offers him her ring so that
should Preah Sothun ever search for her, the hermit could show the
ring to him.
When he returns to the palace victorious, Preah Sothun is
devastated by the news of what has befallen his princess. He asks
for permission to search for her. On his search, he meets the hermit
and receives the ring she had left for just this purpose. Overcoming
many obstacles along the way, the Prince eventually makes it to
her world. When he observes royal maids collecting water at the
pond, he uses a magic spell to cause one of the maids water jars to
become too heavy to lift. The prince appears just then, to offer his
help. While pretending to assist the maid with the pot, he drops the
ring inside it.
As the maid bathes Neang Monorea, the ring spills onto her hair,
where she finds it. The maid tells her the story of the helpful
stranger. Neang Monorea runs to the pond, and there she finds her
beloved. Neang Monoreas parents grant them permission to
remain in the heavens as a married couple

III. Indonesias Jaka Tarub and the Seven Celestial

Maidens3
Jaka Tarub was a handsome and diligent young man. He lived in a
village near a lake. One day, when Jaka Tarub passed the lake, he
heard some giggles and laughs of some girls who were bathing in
the lake. He was curious, so he peeped through the bushes. There
were seven beautiful girls in the lake. They're fairies from the
heavenly kingdom of kahyangan. Jaka Tarub saw a scarf near the
bushes. It belonged to one of the fairies. Jaka Tarub then took it
and hid it.
Crack!!! Accidentally, Jaka Tarub stepped on a twig. "There's
someone!" said one of the fairies. .'Let's get back. Hurry!" she said.
They pulled over and wear their scarf. '.Where is my scarf?" one of
the fairies couldn't find her scarf. She was the youngest fairy called
Nawang Wulan. They tried to search for it, but it was nowhere to
be found. "We're sorry, Wulan. We have to go back to kahyangan,"
said the eldest fairy. "You'll have to find it by yourself. We'll wait
3 This story originated from East Java. It was provided by University of Indonesia

student-participants Anantama Fauzan Azhima and Dinar Rami and Gadjah Mada
University student-participant Ni Wayan Radita NP to the UPCIS-SEASREP Asian
Emporiums Program 2010 at UP Diliman.

for you in kahyangan," she said in empathy. The other fairies then
flew to the sky leaving Nawang Wulan behind. Nawang Wulan
saw them leaving in tears. She was so sad.
"Excuse me ...," said Jaka Tarub, startling Nawang Wutan. "Are
you okay?" he asked. Nawang Wulan moved backward, "Who are
you?" she asked. "My name is Jaka Tarub. I was passing by and I
heard you crying, so I came to see what happen," Jaka Tarub lied.
Nawang Wulan then told him about her problem. I can't fly
without my scarf," she said. Jaka Tarub then asked Nawang Wulan
to come home with him. At first, Nawang Wulan refused the offer.
But since she didn't have anywhere else to go, Nawang Wulan then
decided to follow Jaka Tarub.
Nawang Wulan stayed with Jaka Tarub in the village. A month
passed, and they decided to get married. Nawang Wulan was
willing to marry a human because she fell in love with Jaka Tarub.
After a year, they had a beautiful daughter. They named her
Kumalasari. They lived happily.
Jaka Tarub was also happy to live with Nawang Wulan and
Kumalasari. Especially because he always got a lot of harvest since
he married Nawang Wulan. He couldn't even keep all of his
harvest in the barn because it was always full. "It's so weird.
Nawang Wulan cooked everyday, but why is my barn always full,"
Jaka Tarub mumbled to himself. He was so curious. One day, Jaka
Tarub stayed at home. "I want to stay home today. I'd like to play
with Kumalasari," he said to his wife. "Well, I'll go to the river to
wash the clothes. Please keep an eye on Kumalasari," asked
Nawang Wulan. "I'm cooking rice now. Please do not open the pan
cover before it's done," she said just before she left. "Could this be
the secret?" Jaka Tarub thought. After Nawang Wulan left, he
curiously opened the pan cover. He found only one single paddy.
"How come?" he wondered.
Before lunch, Nawang Wulan came home. She headed to the
kitchen to see the rice she had cooked. She found that the rice
turned only a few grains. "Did you open the pan cover?" she asked
8

her husband. I'm sorry. I was curious," Jaka Tarub said as he

realized his fault.
Ever since, Nawong Wulan had lost her power. She couldn't cook
rice with only a single paddy. Their poddy supply was slowly
lessened. Their barn was almost empty. One day, Nawang Wulan
went to the barn to get some paddy. When she took one of them,
she found a scarf. "What's this? This is my scarf," said Nawang
Wulan startled.
That night, Nawang Wulan asked her husband about the scarf. Jaka
Tarub's eyes widened, "You found it?" he asked. Jaka Tarub looked
down and asked for her forgiveness. "Because I've found my scarf,
it's time for me to go back to where I belong," Nawang Wulan said.
Jaka Tarub tried to stop her, but Nawang Wulan had made up her
mind. "Please take good care of Kumalasari," she said. "If she
wanted to see me, take seven grains of candlenut and put it into a
basket. Shake it as you play the bamboo flute. I'll come to see her,"
she explained.
Jaka Tarub promised to take good care of their daughter. He once
again asked for forgiveness for all of his mistakes. "I've forgiven
you, so you don't have to feel guilty. I must go now. Take care,"
said Nawang Wulan as she flew to the bright full moon.

IV. Laos Sithon Manora4

Once upon a time, seven celestial maidens with wings come down
from the sacred mountain KaiLard Mountain to the deep forest and
take a bath in a beautiful pool of water of the river Anoma.
Two serpents, living in the pool, guard it and keep it clean and
beautiful all year round. Every year, the serpent's wife gives birth
but they cannot raise their child because a big giant usually comes
to that forest and eats the serpent's child. They don't know what to
do because they both cannot fight him. Fortunately, one day, a
brave hunter came to hunt wildlife. When he saw the giant taking
the serpents child, he killed it. After the giant died, the hunter
went back to hunting and took a rest near the river where seven
maidens were taking a bath. When he saw them, he fell in love
with the most beautiful maiden who is no other than Manora.
Because of her beauty, he wanted her to be his wife so he decided
to catch her. He asked himself how he could do it. Finally, he went
back to the pool and asked for a prize from the serpents, which he
helped kill the giant. They gave him a powerful cord. He went
back again to the river and catches Manora with the cord and
tightens it around Manoras body.
After catching Manora, he took her to his house. At first, he
wanted her to be his wife. However, he noticed that she is so
4 This story was provided by Ms. Palamy CHANGLEUXAI and Mr. Vilayuth

PHETSENGTHONG, National University of Laos student-participants

UPCIS-SEASREP Asian Emporiums Program 2010 at UP Diliman.

10

to

beautiful and unsuitable for him so he decided to pass Manora to

the king of the state (Peng Jaan Palace) in exchange for treasure.
But the son of the king named Sithon fell in love with her. They,
then, got married.
Time passed by and Manoras husband had to go to battle to fight
with the enemies. He left her under the care of his parents. Sithons
parents were so worried about his fate that they even asked the
help of the fortuneteller. He told them For the peacefulness of this
palace, we have to kill Manora, because she is not a real human
being. She will cause disaster to fall on us and even to Prince
Sithon. When Manora heard of it, she resented everyone who
wanted to kill her. She waited for her husband every day and kept
on wondering why he wasnt coming back to her. At last on the day
that all the people in the palace were preparing for a ritual is the
day they would kill her. She asked for her wings to enable her to
dance to complete the ceremony before she dies, and if she dies,
without wings, the ceremony would not be successful.
After she got her wings back, she flew to the sky quickly and cried.
She very much regretted why they wanted to kill her.
When Sithon, her husband, came back to the palace, he looked for
her and asked everyone in his palace for his wife. After he learned
of the truth, he decided to go after his wife Manora, even if he had
to face many difficulties several times to prove his love.

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V. Malaysias The Handsome Young Man5 (Timugon

Murut, SABAH, MALAYSIA) 1
This is yet another story2 from our elders of long ago. A king3 of a
certain village had a son. This son was very handsome; there was
no one else as handsome as he.
One night the son had a dream. In this dream an old man, like a
grandfather, spoke to him. He said that there was a certain place
where there lived an old woman, called Grandmother. The
grandfather explained further that in this place there also lived
seven beautiful sisters and that the youngest one was the most
beautiful of them all. Go and meet the grandmother, and she will
help you when you get there, the grandfather said.
When the young man woke up, he looked around him in surprise,
for he had thought that the grandfather was there right next to him.
That was it. The young man could not get back to sleep, for until
dawn he just kept on thinking about the grandfathers words. He
got up before dawn and felt very restless in his heart. He did not
have any appetite and did not feel like bathing.
At daybreak he went to see his father to tell him about the kind of
dream he had had. But his father was quite shocked and doubtful at
what his son was telling him. But after a while he believed him and
allowed him to go and meet the grandmother, according to the
5 Hazel J. Wrigglesworth, ed.The Maiden of Many Nations: The Sky Maiden Who

Married a Man From Earth. Lingusitic Society of the Philippines, Special Monograph
Issue, Number 31. (Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philipines, 1991)

12

sons dream. On the way the young man met all kinds of
difficulties, but his heart did not waver; for as we know, something
held his heart.
After a while he reached the grandmothers house. He had dressed
himself in torn clothes for pretense, for he was afraid that the
grandmother would recognize him as the kings son. When he
reached the grandmothers place, she asked him whether he was
the kings son. No, Im not, he denied vehemently. But even
though the young man did not admit to it, she had already
recognized him as being the kings son.
The young man had only been in the grandmothers place for a
little while when they heard the sounds that were a sign that magic
beings were descending to the earth. They saw altogether seven
beautiful young girls descending to the earth. As they were
descending, (the young man and the grandmother) saw that the
leaves of the tress fluttered down, the trees stood still, and the birds
began to chirp frantically. It is said that these are the signs by
which we know that magic beings are coming down to the earth to
bathe. As the beautiful young girls were bathing, the grandmother
told the young man to go and fish on the bank of the river, nearby
where the girls were bathing. He was wearing old, ragged clothes.
The day wore on and it was already late afternoon. Usually it is at
this time, late afternoon before it gets dark, that the magic beings
return back to their own place. One of them said: Arira!4 Look,
its already late in the afternoon. Lets get out of the water! So
they all go out of the water to where they had left their change of
clothes.
As they were all changing their clothes, the youngest one said to
her elder sisters that she could not find her flying clothes. Why
are you looking around? There was no one else here with us just
now, only us! the eldest one answered.
She asked again from the other sisters, but they all gave the same
answer. Soon the dusk turned into darkness and still the youngest
13

girl was looking around for her flying clothes. Her sisters said:
keep on looking for your flying clothes. We have to leave you
here, for no matter how much you want to come back with us, you
cannot, not without your flying clothes. The poor girl started to
sob.
Soon after that the elder sisters flew off to their own place. Soon
after the elder sisters had flown away, the old man who had
entwined the young mans heart in the dream, came to the scene
and asked the girl: Why are you sobbing and what are are you
looking for?
Stop pretending, you must be the one who stole my flying
clothes! But the old man answered that he was not aware of
having taken them, he had not even seen them. By mutual
agreement the two of them went to meet the grandmother. When
they got to the grandmothers house, the young man took what he
had wrongfully obtained and hid it inside a rice bin.
Early the next morning, as it was nearing dawn, the young man
applied sweet smelling oil on his body. After he had applied the oil,
he was even more handsome than before, so much so that the
beautiful girl only took one look at him and fell deeply in love with
him.
From the moment their eyes met, they both felt pure love for one
another in their hearts. After some time they were married in the
grandmothers place. After they had been married for some months,
the husband said one day, when it was nearing dusk: Wife. I feel
we have been here long enough. Its time we went to my parents
place, for you have not met them yet and I myself too miss them a
lot.
All right, Ill go along with whatever you say, the wife answered.
So, soon after that they went back to the husbands place. When
they got to the husbands house, his parents were very happy to see
their daughter-in-law was such a beauty.
14

Soon after their return the husbands father died, for he had been
seriously ill for a long time already. After the father died, his work
was passed on to the son. But after his fathers death he felt very
unhappy. He kept on thinking about his fathers death, became
very sad and did not do his work properly. At that time his wife
was two months pregnant, but he did not go back to their house
and only stayed in his place of work. Up till the time his wife gave
birth, not once did he return home to her. All this time he went
around drinking heavily and playing around with other women. His
wife felt very upset at her husbands behavior, all the more so as
she remembered their mutual promise when they had been married,
how they had vowed that no matter what kind of difficulties they
came up against, they would never separate. As she remembered
all this, she was not able to sleep at night, but stayed awake till
daybreak. Every evening she sat on the steps and sobbed. Tears
were her only company as she went to bed. She remembered all the
things form her past life, for she was not of this earth. This made
her feel even more dejected in her heart.
One day, as it was nearing dark, she went into a room that she had
never entered before, for her husband had sternly told her not to.
She looked up and saw that her flying clothes were hanging from
the rafters. As she saw her flying clothes there, she was certain
now that it had been her husband who had hidden them from her in
the first place. As she saw her flying clothes, she was very happy,
for now she could return to her own place, all the more so because
her husband did not care for her anymore. All this while, up till the
time her child was already old enough to crawl, her husband had
not come to back to their house.
Because of her husbands behavior her heart was now torn between
the two places, but she was ready to return to her own place. After
that she took her flying clothes and dressed herself in them. She
felt her child to be cared for by a certain woman and flew off. She
would have loved to have taken her child with her, but the baby
had no flying clothes. Not long after the wife had gone away, the
husband was told about it. He was shocked to learn what had
15

happened. He had a change of heart. He lost his appetite and kept

on crying till he fainted.
After some time he went back to the grandmother again to ask for
her help and find out how he could go and meet his wife again.
When he got to the grandmothers place, she scolded him severely.
She reminded him that before they were married the two of them
had promised to love one another, but he had not kept his word.
But although the grandmother was angry with him she still helped
him and told him a way to meet his wife again.
A little while later a fine canoe appeared from somewhere. The
man got into it and it took off into the air. After a while he met
with his wife. The wife was willing to come back to him, if he
would not to return to his old ways. The husband once more gave a
word of promise that he would not return to his old ways, but
instead wanted to become a gentle husband. So, he set his wife into
the fine canoe and the two of them returned to this earth. From the
time of their return the husband did not more evil, but loved his
wife dearly. He also carried out his work as a headman5 very well
and all the people put their trust in him.
So, this was a story that was called The handsome young man.
Actually the was a son of a headman of his people and very rich.
His wife was not from this earth but was a magic being from
another world, from the middle world, that is.

1 The story was narrated in Timugon Murut by Elizabeth Tiporbte Brahim. It was
recorded and translated into English by Kielo Brewis of the Summer Institute of
Linguistics.
2Tunungon story is derived from the verb tunung to relate a story. In correspondence
from Mrs. Brewis she states that the people believe the story may have happened in one
form or another a long time ago.
3Raja: king, a borrowing from Malay which occurs interchangeably in this narrative
with tingganai headman.
4Arira and its linguistic variant Ariru are interjections indicating surprise, shock, or
even pain.
5Tingganai: a headman.

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VI. Myanmars Dway Mal Naw6

In the country of A-yote-da-ya, there was a king. His son, Prince
Thu Da Na, travelled to the country of Ngwe Taung, and it is said
that the princess there is one of the ancestors of the winged people.
There, Prince Thu Da Na saw her playing / bathing in the water in
the lakes called Dway Mal Naw and Htee Inn. They fell in love at
first sight, because of the relationship they once had in their past
lives. (We believe in past lives.) The prince brought her back to his
country and married her.
One day, while the prince was away from his wife, those who were
jealous of their love told the princess things in order to tear them
apart and the princess, made unhappy by what was said, went
back to her country. When Prince Thu Da Na returned and found
that his wife was not home, he immediately followed her to the
country Ngwe Taung. Finally, they met again.
Dway Mal Naw Lake and Htee Inn Lake are still in the east of
Ngwe Taung village until now. They are located in Kayah State, in
the eastern part of Myanmar.

6 This story was provided by Ms. Nandar Hein, a Myanmarese student of UP Diliman.

17

VII. Philippines Taraw Siblaw7

Of the Lumauig stories and other stories that were told and passed
on from generation to generation, one of the stories of long ago in
the days of hunting was the story of the celestial maidens of Taraw
Siblaw. Taraw sometimes pronounced Talaw, refers to the star.
The story was about the ten maidens who were found by a male
hunter in Mount Siniblawan as claimed by the Talubin and Barlig
villagers (Mountain Province) and Mount Pinnagey by the Bayyo,
Bontoc, Mountain Province and Cambolo Ifugao villagers. The
story was told in different versions, but all stories point to the same
spot at the foot of the mountain existing up to this time. The exact
location, where the maidens had been spotted by the man long time
ago, is uninhabitable today for it remains a soft spot that anyone
who stands on it could be drowned in the mud.
Another commonality in the different versions of the story is that
the ten celestial maidens had detachable wings that they removed
while they were swimming and dancing at the foot of Mount
7 Caridad B. Fiar-od, Ph.D. Understanding the Igorot Culture as Implied in the Celestial

Maiden Story. In Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III, ed. Celestial Maiden of Japan and
Southeast Asia (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Center for International
Studies, 2009) 122-143.

18

Siniblaw, which is sometimes called Mt. Pinnagey by others in

Mountain Province. Now it is Filig ad Siniblaw or mountain at
Siniblaw. The celestial maidens were dancing with passion that
they did not notice the hunter who slipped and hid the wings of
Kadmali, the youngest of the ten maidens. All the nine flew up to
the sky except Kadmali whose wings were nowhere to be found.
She stayed on earth and married the hunter and later had two
daughters. After sometime, Kadmali found her rotting wings at the
sugar cane field. She secretly did some mending of the wings until
she was able to fly up the sky with her wings. Kadmalis two
children were left with their father.
One day Kabunyan, who is referred to as the Almighty
(Manakabalin) and theUnseen (Adikaila) sent Lumauig down to
earth to find a maiden to marry and teach the people how to make a
living. Lumauig found the younger sister of the two daughters of
Kadmali. Her name was Bangan, a descendant of the celestial
maiden.

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VIII. Thailands The Tale of Phra Suthon Manorah8

Once upon a time, there was a city called Panjalanakorn, it was
ruled by King Arthitayawongsa and Queen Chantradhewi, they
ruled the city well and everyone was content with the royal
patronage all around the land. One day, after the Queen bears a son,
four bunches of gold appear out of nowhere on the four corner of
the palace, it was the origin of the princes name, Phra Suthon (one
who possess a great asset). From the day the prince was born, the
city become even richer and more famous, and the Prince was
universally loved.
Boontrik a hunter of Panjalanakorn, went hunting in the deepest
forest of the city called Suvarnabhumi that was very plentiful and
abundant. There, in the midst of the wildwas a great lake of
Suvarnabhumi, which was said to be the most beautiful in the
8 This story was provided by Arthit Jiamrattanyoo. Chutima Tantakasem and Soleeheen

Bilanglod, Thai participants to UPCIS-SEASREP Asian Emporiums Program 2010 at UP

Diliman.

20

continent. That day, the hunter Boontrik had a view of the most
unexpected occurrence, Seven most charming creatures he had
never seen before were flying down to the great lake with their
seven fluttery pairs of wings, these creatures were known to the
hunter as kinaree, a kind of mythical creature mixed of human and
bird. These kinarees came from Mount Krailas, a place where
Shiva resides. They are sisters, daughters of the king who looked
after Mount Krailas at that time.
While the kinarees have taken off their wings to enjoy the lake, the
hunter had an idea of catching one of them to be his own. He took
one pair of the wings and hid it. After the kinarees have finished
their bathing, they looked for their wings and flew back to the sky,
except the youngest sister, the most beautiful of all as her wings
were hidden by the hunter. Her name was Manohra. This way,
Manohra was left alone beside the lake, abandoned by her six
sisters, until the hunter came to rescue her and take her to the city
of Panjalanakorn. However, the more the hunter looked at
Manohra, the more he realized he could not possess such a great
creature which can only belong to the highest caste. He changed
his path and proceeded to the grand palace, aiming to present
Manohra as a homage to Price Phra Suthon.
The Prince was overjoyed at the sight of the very beautiful
Manohra. He loved her instantly. The hunter in return was given a
rank, jewels, and money for his reward. King Arthitayawongsa and
Queen Chantradhewi were also happy to see their son in love.
They immediately announced the marriage between the couple.
Manohra, knowing nothing about love and not being human in the
first place, has later learned to love and developed a mutual feeling
for the Prince who took great care of her.
Not a year has passed, when there was a war between
Panjalanakorn and a rival city. The Prince had to become the field
marshal and lead the citys troop. Thus Manohra was alone again.
At this circumstance, the Brahman astrologist, a high ranking
noble who has secretly despised Prince Phra Suthon. Took this
opportunity to tell a false fortune to the King and Queen, informing
21

that Manohra was an omen of bad luck for the city. Consequently,
she should be sacrificed in a sacred fire, to bring peace back to the
city.
The King and Queen did not agree. They knew well that this
beautiful kinaree was the Princes favourite and she had never done
anyone any harm. Yet, the Brahman astrologist is a senior great
noble and should not be ignored. They at last managed the ritual of
sacrifice. Manohra agreed to sacrifice herself, but asked for a last
wish to have her wings back, so that she could do a sacrifice dance
as homage to the gods.
Her dance was spectacular. It captivated everyone and at this
chance, she flew away back to her home on Mount Krailas. On the
way, she thought of Prince Phra Suthon, afraid that he might try to
come find her when the path was so dangerous for ordinary human
beings. With these thoughts, she made a stop at a hermits named
Kassapa. She asked him to give Prince Phra Suthon a ring as her
souvenir and pleaded him not to go find her again.
Prince Phra Suthon, came back home and found Manohra gone. He
became devastated and decided to leave immediately to find
Manohra at all costs. On his way, he found the hermit Kassapa and
asked for the way. The hermit, realizing this must be the prince,
gave him Manohras ring and told him a safe way to pass the
poisonous forest, the giant bird, the fighting elephant, the twin
mountain, and the great giant, until he could reach at the Mount
Krailas.
Manohra, meanwhile, was being warmly welcomed by her family
in Mount Krailas. But as she had been living with the humans for a
long time, her father believed it made her dirty. So she had to stay
in a separate palace for seven days, waiting for a ritual of a
clarifying bath, cleansing the dirtiness of humans away.
Seven years, seven months, and seven days were the length of
Prince Phra Suthons journey. Fortunately, this length of time
equaled the seven days of Mount Krailass time that Manohra had
22

been waiting for her ritual. At this time, the kinarees were
preparing seven golden pots of sacred water to bathe Manorah. The
Prince in hiding, placed the ring into the last pot. When this pot
was taken to bathe her, the ring fell magically on Manohras ring
finger. Thus, she knew of the Princes arrival. With much joy, she
informed her father and mother.
King Tummaraj, father of Manorah, welcomed Prince Phra Suthon
to his palace. He greeted him with warm food and warm clothes.
But he also reminded him of the tests he would have to take. The
prince passed every test, not without difficulty, but from his
experiences of the last journey, he did well on fighting and archery.
Yet, the last test awaiting him was the most difficult, the seven
sisters were dressed exactly alike and looked exactly alike, and the
Prince must be able to tell who is Manohra. The Prince could not
distinguish her from the others. So he prayed to gods for him to
give the right answer. He did.
Prince Phra Suthon with the fathers permission, takes Manohra
back with him to Earth. They went back to Panjalanakorn, reigned
the city after the King and Queen, and lived happily ever after.

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IX. Vietnams NGURU LANG-CHUC NU,

A VIETNAMESE STORY9
Nguru Lang and Chuc Nu have worked in heaven. Nguru Lang is a
carabao boy and Chuc Nu is a fabric maker. Nguru Lang has to
watch the carabao everyday, and weaving fabric is Chuc Nu's daily
job.
One time Nguru Lang saw seven fairies happily bathing in a
beautiful lake and he was incited by a male carabao. He decided to
hide the fairies' clothes. The fairies agreed that the youngest one,
which is the most beautiful had to go to find the clothes. The
youngest fairy's name is Chuc Nu, who is a fabric maker. Because
her nude body was seen by Nguru Lang, Chuc Nu had to accept
Nguru Lang's proposal and became his wife. Chuc Nu was a
wonderful wife and Nguru Lang was a good husband, they lived
happily.
Nguru Lang and Chuc Nu are in a very secure relationship. They
9 This narrative was provided by Nguyen Duc Trung and Doan Thi Thu Thuy National

University of Vietnams student-participants to UPCIS-SEASREP Asian Emporiums

Program 2010 at UP Diliman.

24

are so deeply in love and they spent a lot of time together. One day,
on a date, they were sunk in passion that they forgot their jobs
which they are supposed to do everyday: Nguru Lang forgot to
watch the carabao and it ate a lot of rice plants, Chuc Nu forgot to
weave the fabric.
The King of Heaven (Ngoc Hoang) was so angry and decided to
punish them. They were separated by the Milky Way. But after that,
Ngoc Hoang felt sorry for them. He decided to build a bridge
which can connect one side to the other side of the Milky Way so
that Nguru Lang and Chuc Nu can meet each other once a year. He
commanded a lot of workers to build the bridge.
But it didn't work. The workers fought against each other instead
of building the bridge. Once again, Ngoc Hoang was angry and
used his holy power to transform the workers into ravens.
And the ravens have to gather into a bridge shape cross the Milky
Way once a year. And since then, every year, in July 7th, Nguru
Lang and Chuc Nu can meet each other on the raven bridge. When
they meet each other, they are not able to hold their emotion; their
tears shed and become what Vietnamese people call "Mua Ngau"
(July rain).
The interesting thing is in one version; it says that Ngoc Hoang
separate Nguru Lang and Chuc Nu in order to keep them focus on
their work instead of being in love.

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X. Chinas The Legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver

Girl10
This tale, which is at least 6th century BC old, starts its story in the
skies.
The Weaver Girl Star ( ; zh n xng), referring to the Vega
star and the Cowherd Star ( ; qin ni xng), referring to the
Altair Star, fell deeply in love with each other. However, in the
Heavens of the Chinese mythological world, it is against the
heavenly rules for these stars or deities to have romantic
relationships. Moreover, the Weaver Girl Star is the granddaughter
of the Heavenly Empress.
When word of their forbidden love reached the ears of the
powerful Heavenly Empress, she became furious and sent the
Cowherd Star down to Earth as a mortal. The Weaver Girl was
punished to weave non-stop in the sky. In the legend, clouds in the
skies were weaved by the Weaver Girl with magical silk and
weaving machine. Different colours were weaved according to
different times of the day and season.

10 http://cultureofchinese.com/traditions/folklore/folklore-cowherd-and-the-weaver-girl/

26

One day, a group of fairies requested the Heavenly Empress for

permission to descend to the mortal world, to Bi Lian Lake (
; b lin ch), a lake which could beautify and whiten skin. The
Empress was in a good mood and agreed. The fairy girls taking
pity on the Weaver Girl for working so hard on her weaving,
further requested for her to join them on the trip. Heavenly
Empress thought for quite a while, and gave in eventually.
On earth, when the Cowherd Star descended to the mortal world,
he was reborn into a farming family and named as Cowherd / Cow
Boy ( ; ni lng). After his parents passed away, he stayed
with his brother and sister-in-law, who treated him very badly.
Eventually he was chased out of their home with only an old Ox
and a broken cart.
The Cowherd and the old Ox depended on each other and lived
through hardship together. They plowed and worked hard and in a
couple of years, managed to build a small house and make ends
meet.
Unknown to the Cowherd, the old Ox was originally the Golden
Ox Star ( ; Jn ni xng). One day, the Ox suddenly spoke,
to the Cowherds surprise. The Ox said to him, Go to Bi Lian
Lake today. You will find the dresses of some fairies by the rocks,
while they are bathing in the lake. Take the red dress and the fairy
will become your wife.
Shocked and thrilled, the cowherd took the advice, for he has been
alone and yearns a companion. He hid near the lake and sure
enough, true to the Oxs words, fairies flew down from the sky.
The fairies placed their dresses by the rock and stepped into the
Lake.
Seeing his chance, the Cowherd ran out and grabbed the red dress.
The fairies were frantic to find there was man around. Wearing
their dresses in haste, they flew back to heaven. Only one fairy was
27

left in the lake, for the Cowherd was holding onto her dress. She
was none other than the Weaver Girl Star.
The Cowherd walked forward and asked the Weaver Girl to be his
wife, in exchange for her dress. At this moment, the Weaver Girl
recognized him as the Cowherd Star whom she was still deeply in
love with. Shyly but happily, she accepted his marriage request and
became his wife.
Life on earth for them was wonderful. They bore a son and a
daughter and lived happily as a family.
However, their joy and peace did not last forever. For when the
Heavenly Empress knew of this matter, she stormed in rage! She
immediately deployed heaven guards and soldiers to bring the
Weaver Girl back for punishment.
Back on earth, the Cowherd ran back home in the midst of his
plowing day with sad news that the old Ox has passed away. He
told the Weaving Girl that the Ox spoke before it died. It asked
him to keep his ox hide well. One day, he will be able to cape the
hide and fly into the sky. Upon hearing this, the Weaving Girl
realized that the Ox was once the Golden Ox Star, who was also
punished to the mortal world when he tried to speak in favour for
the Cowherd Star. Sadly, they peeled the hide and gave the Ox a
burial.
Right at this moment, the heaven guards and soldiers came! In an
instance, they grabbed the Weaving Girl and flew off. Sad as she
may be, the Weaving Girl could do nothing about it. Helplessly,
she flew in the skies with the guards to the heavens.
Weaver Girl, wait for me! The Weaver Girl heard the Cowherds
voice. Looking back, she saw him flying behind them, wearing the
magical Ox hide with each hand holding a basket and their two
children in them.
28

The gap between them became closer and closer. Soon, Weaver
Girl could see the adoring faces of her children and hear their cries
for her. Just when they were almost reunited, the Heavenly
Empress appeared and with a wave of her hairpin, created a galaxy
(the Milky Way) between them, forming an impenetrable barrier.
The couple and their children gazed helplessly across the Milky
Way at each other. Emotionally torn, they cried and cried. Fairies
and gods who heard their cries all felt pity for them and pained that
the loving family had to be separated. Soon, even the Empress
soften her heart. She allowed the family (including the 2 children)
to stay in the sky and remain as stars, permitting them to meet once
every year on the 7th day of the 7th month.
On that day of the year, countless magpies ( ; x qu) would
form a bridge to reunite the Cowherd, the Weaving Girl and their
two children in the skies.
This day is then commemorated by Chinese people as Qi Xi
Festival.

29

XI. Indias The Mahabharata11

"My father Kanwa, in answer to that Rishi's enquiries, said,
'Viswamitra, of old, having been engaged in the austerest penances
alarmed Indra, the chief of the celestials, who thought that the
mighty ascetic of blazing energy would, by his penances, hurl him
down from his high seat in heaven.' Indra, thus alarmed,
summoned Menaka and told her, 'Thou, O Menaka, art the first of
celestial Apsaras. Therefore, O amiable one, do me this service.
Hear what I say. This great ascetic Viswamitra like unto the Sun in
splendour, is engaged in the most severe of penances. My heart is
trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy
business. Thou must see that Viswamitra of soul rapt in
contemplation and engaged in the austerest penances, who might
hurl me down from my seat. Go and tempt him and frustrating his
continued austerities accomplish my good. Win him away from his
penances, O beautiful one, by tempting him with thy beauty, youth,
agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech.' Hearing all this, Menaka
replied, 'The illustrious Viswamitra is endued with great energy
and is a mighty ascetic. He is very short-tempered too, as is known
11 The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhi Parva: Section LXXI- LXXII

taken from http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01073.htm

30

to thee. The energy, penances, and wrath of the high-souled one

have made even thee anxious. Why should I not also be anxious?
He it was who made even the illustrious Vasishtha bear the pangs
of witnessing the premature death of his children. He it was who,
though at first born as Kshatriya, subsequently became a Brahmana
by virtue of his ascetic penances. He it was who, for purposes of
his ablutions, created a deep river that can with difficulty be forded,
and which sacred stream is known by the name of the Kausiki. It
was Viswamitra whose wife, in a season of distress, was
maintained by the royal sage Matanga (Trisanku) who was then
living under a father's curse as a hunter. It was Viswamitra who, on
returning after the famine was over, changed the name of the
stream having his asylum from Kausik into Para. It was
Viswamitra who in return for the services of Matanga, himself
became the latter's priest for purposes of a sacrifice. The lord of the
celestials himself went through fear to drink the Soma juice. It was
Viswamitra who in anger created a second world and numerous
stars beginning with Sravana. He it was who granted protection to
Trisanku smarting under a superior's curse. I am frightened to
approach him of such deeds. Tell me, O Indra, the means that
should be adopted so that I may not be burnt by his wrath. He can
burn the three worlds by his splendour, can, by a stamp (of his
foot), cause the earth to quake. He can sever the great Meru from
the earth and hurl it to any distance. He can go round the ten points
of the earth in a moment. How can a woman like me even touch
such a one full of ascetic virtues, like unto a blazing fire, and
having his passions under complete control? His mouth is like unto
a blazing fire; the pupils of his eyes are like the Sun and the Moon;
his tongue is like unto Yama himself. How shall, O chief of the
celestials, a woman like me even touch him? At the thought of his
prowess Yama, Soma, the great Rishis, the Saddhyas, the Viswas,
Valakhilyas, are terrified! How can a woman like me gaze at him
without alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the
celestials, I shall somehow approach that Rishi. But, O chief of the
gods, devise thou some plan whereby protected by thee, I may
safely move about that Rishi. I think that when I begin to play
before the Rishi, Marut (the god of wind) had better go there and
rob me of my dress, and Manmatha (the god of love) had also, at
31

thy command, better help me then. Let also Marut on that occasion
bear thither fragrance from the woods to tempt the Rishi.' Saying
this and seeing that all she had spoken about had been duly
provided, Menaka went to the retreat of the great Kausika.'"
Kanwa continued, 'And Sakra, thus addressed by her, then
commanded him who could approach every place (viz., the god of
the wind) to be present with Menaka at the time she would be
before the Rishi. And the timid and beautiful Menaka then entered
the retreat and saw there Viswamitra who had burnt, by his
penances, all his sins, and was engaged still in ascetic penances.
And saluting the Rishi, she then began to sport before him. And
just at that time Marut robbed her of her garments that were white
as the Moon. And she thereupon ran, as if in great bashfulness, to
catch hold of her attire, and as if she was exceedingly annoyed
with Marut. And she did all this before the very eyes of
Viswamitra who was endued with energy like that of fire. And
Viswamitra saw her in that attitude. And beholding her divested of
her robes, he saw that she was of faultless feature. And that best of
Munis saw that she was exceedingly handsome, with no marks of
age on her person. And beholding her beauty and accomplishments
that bull amongst Rishis was possessed with lust and made a sign
that he desired her companionship. And he invited her accordingly,
and she also of faultless features expressed her acceptance of the
invitation. And they then passed a long time there in each other's
company. And sporting with each other, just as they pleased, for a
long time as if it were only a single day, the Rishi begat on Menaka
a daughter named Sakuntala. And Menaka (as her conception
advanced) went to the banks of the river Malini coursing along a
valley of the charming mountains of Himavat. And there she gave
birth to that daughter. And she left the new-born infant on the bank
of that river and went away. And beholding the new-born infant
lying in that forest destitute of human beings but abounding with
lions and tigers, a number of vultures sat around to protect it from
harm. No Rakshasas or carnivorous animals took its life. Those
vultures protected the daughter of Menaka. I went there to perform
my ablution and beheld the infant lying in the solitude of the
32

wilderness surrounded by vultures. Bringing her hither I have

made her my daughter. Indeed, the maker of the body, the
protector of life, the giver of food, are all three, fathers in their
order, according to the scriptures. And becauseshe was surrounded
in the solitude of the wilderness, by Sakuntas (birds), therefore,
hath she been named by me Sakuntala (bird-protected). O
Brahman, learn that it is thus that Sakuntala hath become my
daughter. And the faultless Sakuntala also regards me as her
father.'
"This is what my father had said unto the Rishi, having been asked
by him. O king of men, it is thus that thou must know I am the
daughter of Kanwa. And not knowing my real father, I regard
Kanwa as my father. Thus have I told thee, O king, all that hath
been heard by me regarding my birth!'"

33

XII. Japans The Robe of Feathers12

Once there was a fisherman who lived all alone on a tiny island in
Japan. He was very poor and very lonely. Early one morning, he
started toward his boat; there had been a bad storm the night before,
but now the sun was shining brightly. As he walked along, he saw
something hanging on a branch of one of the pine trees along the
beach. It was beautiful and shining. He took it down from the
branch and found that it was a wonderful robe made of feathers.
The feathers were of all different colors, as lovely and soft as the
rainbow, and they shined and sparkled in the sunlight like jewels.
It was the most beautiful thing the fisherman had ever seen in all
his life.
Oh, what a beautiful robe! he said. Its certainly a priceless
treasure. Theres no one else on my island so it cant belong to
anyone. Ill take it home and keep it always. Then my poor home
will be beautiful and I can look at the robe whenever Im lonely.
Holding the robe very carefully in his rough hands, he turned and
started to carry it home.
Just then a beautiful woman came running after him. Mr.
Fisherman, Mr. Fisherman, she called, thats my robe of feathers
12 Florence Sakade, Japanese Childrens Favorite Stories Book Two (Singapore: Tuttle

Publishing, CD edition 2005) 21-24.

34

that youre taking away. Please give it back to me. She went on to
explain that she was an angel from heaven and that the robe of
feathers was actually her wings. While she was flying through the
sky, the storm had come and wet her wings so that she could not
fly. So she had waited on this island until the sun came out and
then had hung her wings out to dry on a pine tree, where the
fisherman had found them.
So you see, she finished, if you dont give my wings back to me,
Ill never be able to fly back to my home in heaven again. Then
the woman began to weep.
The fisherman felt very sad for her. Please dont cry, he said.
Of course Ill give you your robe of feathers. If Id known it
belonged to anyone, I would never have touched it. And he knelt
down before her and handed her the robe.
The angel began at last to smile and her face was shining with
happiness. oh, thank you very much, Mr. Fisherman. she said.
Youre such a good man that Im going to dance the angels
dance for you.
Then the angel put on the robe of many-colored feathers and began
to dance there before the fisherman. It was certainly the most
beautiful dance the fisherman had ever seen, and probably the most
beautiful dance that she had ever danced anywhere on this earth,
since angels usually dance their angels dance high up in the
heavens. The air was filled with heavenly music, and the feathered
robe sparkled in the sunlight until the entire island was wrapped in
rainbows.
As the angel danced, she rose slowly in the air, higher and higher,
until finally she disappeared far up in the blue sky. The fisherman
stood watching the sky and remembering the beautiful dance hed
seen. He knew that hed never be lonely or poor againnot with
such a beautiful memory to carry always in his heart.

35